Why Harvard“Encourages”Students to Take a Gap Year

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What exactly do students do while on a gap year? What do colleges think of them?

[2]The answers are: There are myriad options for students who have the resources to take a gap year—though they do not have to be expensive.And some colleges actually encourage admitted students to take a gap year—including Harvard.

[3]What exactly is a gap year? Laura R.Hosid, an expert on gap years at the Vinik Educational Placement Services in Bethesda, told me in an interview that a“gap year typically describes a year off between high school and college.”They have long been popular in Britain and other countries, she said, but have been gaining popularity in this country, too,in recent years.They offer students with means“an opportunity to travel, explore different interests, and gain experience and maturity before beginning college.”

[4]There are no solid statistics on how many students take gap years in the United States, according to the American Gap Association, but anecdotal evidence shows that students benef i t significantly from taking time off.A study by the dean of admissions at Middlebury College found that the average GPA for Middlebury students who had taken a gap year was consistently higher than those who had not.

[5]In 2012, Harvard’s website noted that 50 to 70 students take gap years before entering as freshman.The website today says:

Harvard College encourages admitted students to defer enrollment for one year to travel, pursue a special project or activity,work, or spend time in another meaningful way—provided they do not enroll in a degree-granting program at another college.Deferrals for two-year obligatory military service are also granted.Each year, between 80 and 110 students defer their matriculation to the College.

[6]Also on the website is an article titled,“Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation,”describes how pressured K-121= kindergarten to 12 grades幼兒園到12年級。schooling has become, noting that“training for college scholarships—or professional contracts—begins early,even in grammar school2文法學校，承襲傳統精英教育，主要培養學習成績優秀、富于學術發展潛力的學生，學校課程內容突出學術性，對學生要求高、管理嚴。.”It says:

Faced with the fast pace of growingup today, some students are clearly distressed, engaging in binge drinking and other self-destructive behaviors.Counseling services of secondary schools3中學，11至16歲或18歲的學校教育。and colleges have expanded in response to greatly increased demand.It is common to encounter even the most successful students, who have won all the“prizes,”stepping back and wondering if it was all worth it.Professionals in their thirties and forties—physicians, lawyers, academics,business people and others—sometimes give the impression that they are dazed4dazed（由于震驚或打擊）神志不清的，茫然的。survivors of some bewildering5bewildering令人困惑的，使人糊涂的。life-long boot-camp6boot-camp新兵訓練營。.Some say they ended up in their profession because of someone else’s expectations, or that they simply drifted into it without pausing to think whether they really loved their work.Often they say they missed their youth entirely, never living in the present, always pursuing some ill-defined future goal.

學生們到底在空檔年做些什么？大學如何看待他們的行為？

[2]答案：對于有條件選擇空檔年的學生，可做的事情數不勝數——而且費用并不一定很高。事實上，包括哈佛在內的一些大學鼓勵已錄取的學生選擇空檔年。

[3]空檔年到底是什么？貝塞斯達維尼科教育安置服務處空檔年專家勞拉·R.霍西德在接受我采訪時說，“空檔年一般指學生高中畢業后進入大學前選擇空出的一年”。空檔年在英國及其他國家早已大受歡迎，但近幾年才在美國日漸流行。空檔年以不同的方式在學生“入學前為其提供出門旅行、探索興趣、積累閱歷及獲得成長的機會”。

[4]美國空檔年組織稱，并無確切數據顯示美國有多少學生選擇空檔年，但有證據表明，空出一段時間后入學會讓學生大受裨益。米德爾伯里大學招生處主任研究發現，該校有空檔年經歷的學生的平均績點一直高于沒有此經歷的學生。

[5]2012年，哈佛大學網站顯示，有50至70名新生入學前選擇空檔年。如今該網站稱：

哈佛大學鼓勵已錄取學生推遲一年入學，去旅行、參與特殊項目或活動、打工，或以其他有意義的方式度過空檔年，前提是沒有參與其他院校的學位授予項目。學校也準許學生為履行兵役義務而推遲兩年入學。每年，有80至110名學生推遲入學。

[6]該網站上還有一篇題為“下一代該小憩還是燃訖”的文章，講述了從幼兒園到12年級的K-12教育體制帶來的巨大壓力，指出“為獲得大學獎學金或職業合同而進行的培訓早早就開始了，甚至文法學校也是如此”。文章寫道：

如今，成長節奏快，一些學生對此明顯焦慮不已，有酗酒及其他自毀行為。中學及大學已擴大咨詢服務，以應對急劇增長的需求。咨詢者中學業優異的學生大有人在，他們贏得了各項“大獎”，卻退而思考這一切是否值得。三四十歲的專業人士——醫生、律師、學者、商人等——有時讓人覺得他們像是終生待在某個令人迷失方向的新兵訓練營里，茫然無措。有人說他們之所以從事現在的職業是由于別人的期待，或只是一路順其自然而從未停步想過自己是不是真正喜愛這份工作。他們常說自己錯過了整個青春，從未活在當下，總在追求未來某個并不明確的目標。

Some early remedies

What can we do to help? Fortunately this young fast-track generation itself offers ideas that can reduce stress and prevent burnout.In college application essays and interviews, in conversations and counseling sessions with current college students, and in discussions with alumni/ae, many current students perceive the value of taking time out.Such a“time out”can take many forms.It can be verybrief or last for a year or more.It can be structured or unstructured, and directed toward career, academic or purely personal pursuits.Most fundamentally, it is a time to step back and reflect, to gain perspective on personal values and goals, or to gain needed life experience in a setting separate from and independent of one’s accustomed pressures and expectations.

[7]Other schools encourage gap years, as well.For example, Princeton University offers the Bridge Year Program, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has Global Gap Year Fellowship Program.

[9]For those students who don’t apply to college, hoping that activities undertaken during a gap year will enhance their admissions profile, Hosid said a gap year can’t“compensate for deficiencies in your high school record.”

[10]She also said in the earlier interview:

早期改進措施

我們能做些什么來幫助他們呢？所幸，快速成長的這一代年輕人自己找到了能夠減輕壓力并防止透支的方法。在入學申請及面試中、在與在校生的交談及咨詢中，以及在與校友的討論中，很多在校生都認識到空出時間的價值。這樣的一段“小憩”可以有多種形式：時間可以非常短，也可以持續一年或更久；計劃可有可無，既可針對事業、學業，也可純粹出于個人興趣。最重要的是，這段時間可以后退反省，可以認清個人價值與目標，或者，可以遠離習以為常的壓力與期望，置身獨立的環境獲得所需的生活經驗。

[7]另一些學校也鼓勵學生選擇空檔年，比如普林斯頓大學設立“空檔年項目”，北卡羅來納大學教堂山分校則設有“全球空檔年獎學金項目”。

[8]有意愿選擇空檔年的學生應先申請高校，被錄取后向學校提交計劃書陳述選擇空檔年的原因。很多大學都樂于批準。

爐殼采用焊接式鋼結構框架，保證焊接的密封性。由于氫氣密度小于空氣，爐殼進氣口設置在上部，排氣口設置在下部，在排氣口處有長明火咀，工作時將排出的廢氣點燃，確保設備和工作環境安全。爐口處有水冷套，爐門采用新型結構[2]，保證了爐口的氣密性。同時，出于安全考慮，在爐頂部設有防爆裝置。

[9]有些學生未申請高校但希望以空檔年參加的活動來豐富其申請簡歷，對于這些學生，霍西德說，空檔年“并不能彌補高中成績的不足”。

[10]在之前采訪的答問中，她還說過：

Q)What kinds of things do students do on their gap years?

Many students choose to spend their gap year in structured programs volunteering abroad or in the United States.There are also many opportunities to explore interests in the environment,arts, and other cultures.Taking courses to improve academic skills is another option.Within these broad categories,there are a myriad of options, ranging from studying at the International Culinary7culinary烹飪。Center in New York, to performing musical stage performances in multiple countries while living with host families with Up With People, to building trails8trail小徑。in state parks with the Student Conservation Association.

One thing to keep in mind is that gap years need not be expensive or involve international travel.City Year, part of AmeriCorps9美國志愿隊，美國全國性志愿者服務項目，由比爾·克林頓創建，鼓勵人們將自己的信念和理想化為奉獻與行動。, provides a stipend10stipend 生活津貼。and scholarship for 10 months of service in inner-city schools.World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms11世界有機農場機會組織，提供以工作換食宿的體驗。offers meals and housing in exchange for farming work.

A gap year also does not need to be one full-year program.Students often piece together12piece together結合。different options to explore a range of interests or can work for a few months to fund a shorter opportunity.Short-term options can range from three weeks at a wildlife sanctuary13sanctuary鳥獸保護區，禁獵區。in South Africa with BroadReach144廣達組織，成立于2003年，與全球政府人員、全球發展組織與私立機構一道，為全球人口健康與福祉提出創新的、系統的解決方案。to a month studying French at Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota.

問：學生在空檔年都會做些什么？

很多學生選擇有組織的項目，如在海外或美國國內做志愿者。還有很多機會探索自己對環境、藝術及其他文化的興趣。也可以通過上課提升學術技能。在上述眾多項目中，學生的選擇頗為廣泛，如在紐約國際烹飪中心學習，參加“人人至上”國際青年團隊在不同國家的寄宿家庭居住并表演音樂舞臺劇，或是同學生保護協會一道在國家公園修筑小徑。

記住，不必為空檔年花很多錢或非要去國外。國內的“城市年”是美國志愿隊服務的一部分，會為在貧民區學校服務10個月的學生提供補助與獎學金。世界有機農場機會組織則會為干農活兒的學生提供食宿。

也不必非在空檔年參加一個整年的項目。學生常結合不同的選擇探索一系列興趣，或可以工作幾個月來為參與一個短期活動籌錢。短期選擇可以是在南非野生動物禁獵區同廣達組織一道生活三周，也可以是在明尼蘇達州康科迪亞語言學習村學習一個月法語。

Q)How do families get help planning one?

There are several good books available, including“The Complete Guide to the Gap Year”by Kristin M.White and“The Gap-Year Advantage”by Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson.Websites such as Teen Life offer listings of gapyear programs by type—many private high schools and colleges also have lists available online.In addition, USA Gap Year Fairs offer over 30 different fairs throughout the country.Finally, there are a small number of educational consultants who focus on gap-year advising and can help students figure out what they want to do and help identify specific programs that would be a good match.■

問：家人如何幫助策劃一個空檔年？

有幾本好書可以參考，包括克里斯汀·M.懷特的《空檔年指導大全》、卡爾·海格勒和蕾·納爾遜合著的《空檔年優勢》。“青年人生”等網站提供不同種類的空檔年項目列表，很多私立高中與大學網站上也有此類列表。此外，美國空檔年協會在全國范圍內提供30多種不同的項目。最后，可以咨詢一些教育顧問，他們專門提供有關空檔年的建議，能幫助學生發現自己想做的事，并確定與之相應的具體項目。□